leave someone in the lurch leave an associate or friend abruptly and without assistance or support when they are in a difficult situation.
☞ Lurch as a noun meaning 'a state of discomfiture' dates from the mid 16th century but it is now used only in this idiom.
1987Eileen DunlopThe House on the Hill What have Gilmores ever done but leave her in the lurch? Poor Jane, she just can't run the risk of being hurt again.